Comments on: Update: Al Gore goes green at home with a LEED renovation and solar roof

By: stevew

stevew — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:29:56 +0000

Actually, TJR is not entirely incorrect. Calling a geothermal heating system geothermal is not technically correct…but it has now become the standard term and there is not point fighting it. Sorta like calling the starter relay on a ford a solenoid. It’s not a solenoid but thats what the parts books call it.

But yeah, you can heat a pool to 75 degrees with 55 degree water…heat pumps are wonderous things.

By: JDM

JDM — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:02:52 +0000

TJR does not understand how Geothermal works. First it is a heatpump system. A typical above ground heatpump system pulls the heat out of the air. However, when it is extremely cold outside there is not much heat to extract, therefore your emergency heat kicks in and your electric meter spins rapidly. Geothermal is based on the same idea except that at a certain depth below ground the temperature is constant. Therfore when the heat pump extracts the heat it is pulling from a constant ground tempature and running super effecient. Check out Waterfurnace.com. There is a great amount of information on how it works.

By: Coldest winter in years, Environment Canada warns - Page 2 - Volconvo Debate Forums

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:53:52 +0000

[...] "millionaires" are spending a great deal of money to reduce their home energy footprint. Al Gore goes green at home with a LEED renovation and solar roof Orlando Bloom builds Green Home and number four, your whining [...]

By: Sk8rAl

Sk8rAl — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:32:06 +0000

I apologize if this has been covered since the first comment was made to this post. But, geothermal heating/cooling systems are NOT dependent on volcanic activity. My parents recently installed a geothermal heating/cooling system in west-central Wisconsin – a location with zero volcanic activity, and gets much colder than Nashville. Additionally, it’s not even a vertical system – the field is laid out laterally about 6-8 feet below the surface – supposed to maintain about 65 degrees.

I don’t really know the details of how the whole thing works, but it somehow utilizes the difference in temperature to generate heat or cool. They’ve already made it through one Wisconsin winter, and the house stays nice and warm.

By: George HW Bush installs Skystream wind turbine at Kennebunkport home

George HW Bush installs Skystream wind turbine at Kennebunkport home — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:14:18 +0000

[...] Don’t miss our previous posts about George W Bush’s house in Crawford, and Al Gore’s LEED renovation in Tennessee. [...]

By: TJR

TJR — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:46:18 +0000

I doubt there is any geothermal energy available in Nashville, unless Gore went down far enough to hit magma. Geothermal energy is using water heated by volcanic activity, such as Old Faithful in Yellowstone or the steam springs in Iceland. Using 55 degree water from the ground for heating or cooling is NOT Geothermal energy. Ask the IRS. I don’t see how using 55 degree water is going to reduce the cost of heating a pool which needs to be above 75 to be comfortable.